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Post by Ailith Rayner on Dec 20, 2007 19:08:05 GMT
Battle training, to be brutally honest, was a bit all over the place. At least it felt that way to Ailith. Madeleine had stood on her little platform as usual and announced in a sort of abstract way described today's practice, archery. It went reasonably well, insofar as nobody had got shot down nor was anyone miles away from the target. (Except Josh. But in all fairness he tried and he wasn’t that awful. He was just really bad.) Although Ailith did hear a slight yelp as someone pulled their arrow out of the target face and stabbed themself in the forehead. After that Ailith noticed Josh was exceedingly careful about the whole process and ended up firing 34 less arrows than everyone else. When Madeleine talked them through the steps she sounded almost bored and detached and the safety measures where added in as if they were a little extra info. When someone asked her a question Madeleine looked as if she was barely listening and answered them with frown and a fluster.
No doubt about it there was something up with Madeleine and Ailith was certain she knew what it was. Who wasn’t? This Lee thing was hitting her hard.
At the end of the lesson, Ailith handed back her bow and quiver of arrows. As she did so, Madeleine caught her eye.
“Will you wait behind for me please?” Madeleine spoke so softly Ailith was sure only she had heard. She nodded once before leaving the queue and saying goodbye to Josh. As the last person left the room, Ailith turned to Madeleine.
“You want to speak to me?” Ailith enquired gently.
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Post by Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford on Dec 28, 2007 15:55:16 GMT
She sucked at this.
It was funny, because, for years, she could hide every emotion. She was good at it. No one ever knew what she was thinking or feeling. People (usually her mother and grandmother, and her ex, Russ) told her that bottling things up was bad, but Madeleine felt that she needed it.
And she could name more than a few people that really needed to learn when to keep quiet about what they felt.
But the point was, Madeleine wasn't dealing with her emotions too well right now, and she could tell by the tentative smiles she was getting from her Warriors that they'd noticed.
It probably didn't help that she almost certainly looked a mess. She'd barely slept the night before and predictably couldn't find her concealer in the morning.
Not that she cared what she looked like to anyone anymore. Who really noticed?
But maybe she should make an effort to smile a bit more. Right now, the only people to really get her to smile were Lee and Dylan.
"You want to speak to me?" Ailith's voice rang out in the empty room.
Now, it was time to explain what had been on her mind.
Madeleine's tone was business-like, so that it wouldn't belie what was really going on. "I need to ask you for help with something, Ailith. You don't have to do it... but there's no one that I'd trust as much with this."
She met Ailith's gaze and held it.
"You know about Lee, right?"
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Post by Ailith Rayner on Dec 31, 2007 11:54:04 GMT
Ailith sighed, who didn't know about that? Everyone was tense about it, especially the Spies. When something like that hits a fellow Spy and no-one is entirely sure how it happened, well it freaks people out. Some people however, eg. Jude, were just woried about their friend and of course everyone felt for Madeleine.
"Yes, I know about Lee."
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Post by Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford on Dec 31, 2007 12:46:16 GMT
Stupid question, even if it was just setting the context.
"Right, well... okay."
Madeleine was now pacing in front of the stage, words blurring in her head.
"No one really knows how it happened... but we've got theories. And the theories fit. Someone has done this to him, someone has... taken his memory away. What I and Professor Hoodham think is that the person who was screwing about with his mind and making him have those nightmares was 'grooming' him to assassinate Hoodham for Marius's army. When it didn't work, this person completely erased his memory so that we couldn't trace them."
She stopped talking and pacing, fighting a little bit of nausea. "Okay, I don't really know where that little speech was going."
She wasn't quite sure how to suggest this all to Ailith, but she had a plan. She wanted... not revenge. More like justice. She needed justice - she couldn't just let someone get away with doing something like that to Lee. It just... no, it couldn't happen.
"The person that did this? I need to find them. And I want to get justice, Ailith."
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Post by Ailith Rayner on Dec 31, 2007 16:06:11 GMT
Ailith sighed, "OK. I understand what you want to do, but have you thought of the process before you can get even close to an oppertunity for justice? I mean firstly, it helps if the victim remembers the incident. We also need to find out who did it," Ailith tilted her head back at tha and let her eyes glaze out a bit, "Actually we need to find out a way of finding out who did it. And if we do find them we need to get the unlikely permission to go on the mission... oh that's another thing how far were you planning to take it? Be careful. Are you looking for justice or revenge?"
The two were very different things. Ailith should know and she'd seen them mixed up and confused. The result wasn't pretty.
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Post by Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford on Dec 31, 2007 18:33:23 GMT
Okay, one step at a time...
"Well, to the first thing - Lee gets flashbacks. it just takes some trigger to do it. And as weird as this sounds, I'm pretty sure that Lee's new eye colour is the same shade as his attacker. I mean, it makes sense, doesn't it? When he had the... dreams, his eyes flickered that shade. And he had a flashback of strawberry shampoo, and I think... Look," she said, as she realised what she was saying. "I know that's all we have to go on, a brown eyed person who uses strawberry shampoo. But from that last bit, we can work out that it's a woman. This person is definitely a member of Marius's army, and she has total control over the mind. That's an unusual power, one of the teachers is bound to remember a pupil with a power like that. The rest of the finding out is partly why I need you."
She took a breath, realising that her colour was high and her voice breathless and keyed-up. "We'll get permission once we get information, I'm sure of it. Someone trusted to oversee an assassination must be pretty high up in the ranks. And justice and revenge?" She broke off, before starting again. "A bit of both. Justice for him, revenge for me. I know... I know that I shouldn't be after revenge."
Her voice now felt like it was on the verge of tears.
"Whoever this person is... she... she stole Lee," she said, keeping her eyes averted from Ailith. "She stole him... she... you know what, just... guess. Okay? I shouldn't want revenge, but I really, really do."
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Post by Ailith Rayner on Jan 3, 2008 0:09:47 GMT
"Alright. I'll help you. But I still think it's going to be extremely complicated and difficult, and I think we need a good, clean, straight-forward start and oraganise our goals properly."
Ailith flicked her eyes to the door, which was shut, "On which note should we ...disscuss this in a more private setting? I very much doubt there is an agent or even a double agent working within the school, but it doesn't hurt to be ever so slightly paranoid. And in this school at this time..." Her eyes moved automatically to the windows near the roof.
Don't be ridiculous! You're not going to plot murder Ailith! Yes, she's lost her love (figuratively) but assassination won't be on Madeleine's mind. No way would she go that far. Mind you, this presumed woman did attempt the assassination of Prof. Hoodham. Do I not have a loyalty to him? Ah. See, now what? Oh hold on until she's said what she's after! Maybe the Spies will be given the same mission anyway...
"...Well anyway, what do you reckon?"
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Post by Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford on Jan 6, 2008 12:10:36 GMT
"Probably a good idea," Madeleine agreed, glancing towards the door.
She'd thought about enemy spies infiltrating the school, but it wasn't something that she wanted to think about right now.
She cleared her throat hesitantly. "Em... Ailith, could you not mention this to anybody? I don't want word getting around, I mean... not everybody would like it."
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Post by Ailith Rayner on Jan 6, 2008 14:21:10 GMT
Ailith smiled, "Are you jokin' me? You couldn't have asked a better person to keep secrets. I promise I will never mention our plans, whatever they may become, to another person." Ailith extended her hand but withdrew it almost immediately, "Unless, it would, beyond all resonable doubt, save your life or someone elses." She held out her hand again. "I keep my word but I'm not prepared to allow someone to die for it. And that beyond all resonable doubt bit is so that I don't have to tell an enemy at all just because they say that they'll 'spare' a life if I spill. Fair enough?"
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Post by Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford on Jan 6, 2008 18:15:52 GMT
"Fair enough," Madeleine smiled, shaking Ailith's hand. "Thanks, Ailith. You've ... no idea what that means to me."
It meant so much more than she could ever say. She couldn't avenge Shaun, couldn't play with karma for his attackers - but she could do this. She could avenge Lee on his tormentor. Whoever it happened to be.
And of course, any act against a member of Marius's "group" was a strike for Orchid.
So it meant an awful, awful lot to her.
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Post by Ailith Rayner on Jan 7, 2008 20:18:00 GMT
Ailith smiled, "No problem! What are Spies for?"
Ailith was surprised at the intensity of Madeleine's feelings. It almost scared Ailith in a way. If this is what Madeleine Baudelaire Head of Warriors does when her boyfriend nearly got done in, then what would Ailith be like if anything as bad happened to Jude. She figured she wouldn't be as bad because she and Jude weren't as serious as they were. But even so...
"Let's talk later. How 'bout a walk out the back?" Ailith offered.
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Post by Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford on Jan 7, 2008 20:34:56 GMT
Madeleine smiled. "Sure, that'd be good."
What was Ailith thinking about? Was she wondering what Madeleine was doing, going to these lengths?
Maybe.
But Madeleine knew why she was doing this.
Because she loved him. Even though he didn't know it, she loved him so intensely that it hurt her to even think of him, but she did it anyway because with the pain, came a certain joy.
Only... she didn't know if she'd ever stop loving him. Logic told her that she was young, she'd heal quickly, but she couldn't ever imagine being without him.
It would just hurt too much.
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